Unnamed Therapist Game - Narrative Structure
Narrative Cycle Beginning; - Opening cutscene shows therapist’s morning routine around house (activities the player will be carrying out later). Also functions as tour of game setting. - Monologue during cutscene gives some insight into therapist’s character. Core Gameplay; - Player given control to explore house and interact with objects around the setting. Newspapers + Patient files give background on world. Making coffee/food/pencil sharpening etc. give insight into therapist character. - Patient arrival + Introductory dialogue expand on player knowledge of patient/legend. Give clues for exploratory dialogue and set scene for their minigame. - Exploratory dialogue options are Therapist’s response results of a test given to patient e.g. Rorschach test. Selected options influence the cumulative score which affects game ending although this is not made apparent to player. - Minigame start dialogue segues into the minigame proper which takes place in the mind of the urban legend. - Gameplay is unique to each urban legend. - Performance in gameplay is scored and adds or subtracts from the cumulative score tracker. - Gameplay is paused at certain stages as the therapy continues and dialogue options appear. - Confront problem option increases difficulty of gameplay as the legend tries to push through their issue - Alter perspective option will change a fundamental aspect of the gameplay (perhaps the literal perspective) as therapist encourages patient to view issues in a different light. - Move Past Problem option continues gameplay as it was before as patient gradually works on their issue. - Loop continues until gameplay climax where the minigame ends and the minigame score is added to the cumulative score tracker. - Summative Dialogue + Patient leaving reflect performance in the minigame. Poor performance may have the legend refuse to ever return or swear to continue their violent ways etc. - Good performance will have the legend offering to return some time/ feeling better than when they arrived. - End of scene either returns therapist to the preparation period before their next visit from an urban legend or begins the penultimate dialogue/game ending once all the legends have visited the therapist. Game Ending; - Cumulative score will affect the ending of the game which takes place a few years after the end of gameplay. - A score of 5+ will result in the positive ending where the Therapist has become a successful author and expert on the psychology of Urban legends. - A score of 2-4 will result in the mildly positive ending where the Therapist has become an Urban Legend himself due to all the strange happenings and sighting around his home. - A score of 1 to -1 will result in the neutral ending where the therapist continues as he did before, but he now has a partner and has started a family. - A score of -2 to -4 results in the mildly negative ending where the stress of his Therapy job has caused him to quit and move away from the house. In the news the therapist reads about an increase in Urban Legend attacks. A score of -5 or less results in the negative ending where the therapist is now in a mental institution having gone mad and is now receiving therapy himself. It is also revealed that the entire game is the Therapist’s therapy minigame.